Spring-wheel.



H, W. KIRCHNER.

I SPRING WHEEL.

APPLIGATION IILED DEC. 10, 1912.

1,126fi31, Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

rally HENRY W. KIRCHNEB OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SPRING-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 26, 1915.

Application filed December 10, 1912.v Serial No. 735,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY XV. KIROI-INER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Spring- Tl heels. of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to wheels, and particularly to vehicle wheels ofthe'type in which one or more springs are arranged between the hub andrim portions of the wheel for absorbing the shocks and jars that the rimportion receives when the wheel is in service.

The main object of my invention is to provide a wheel whose hub and rimportions are connected together by one or more spiwound springs whosecross sectional area is suflicient to impart great lateral strength orstiffness to the wheel.

Another object is to provide a vehicle wheel of the type above-describedin which the spring or springs that are arranged between the hub and rimportions of the wheel cooperate with side plates on said hub and rimportions to hold said portions in vertical alinement when one or theother is sub jected to side thrusts or lateral strains.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafterpointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is a side elevational view of a vehicle wheelconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssectional view of said wheel; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinalsectional view; and Fig. i is a side elevational view of a pulley orbelt-driving wheel construct ed in accordance with my invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings which illustrate thepreferred form of my invention, r'i and B designate the hub and rimportions of the wheel, respectively,-and C designates a fiat spirallywound spring that is arranged between said portions and which is securedat its outer end to the rim B and at its inner end to the hub A. Thespring C absorbs the shocks and jars which the rim receives when thewheel is in service, and the cross-sectional area of said spring isgreat enough to impart great lateral strength or stifiness to the wheel.As shown in Fig. 2 the spring C consists of a flat strip of spring metalwhich is approximately the relative lateral same width as the rim B andhub A but I do not wish it to be understood that my inventions I haveprovided the hub and rim with pairs of side plates D and E,respectively, that cooperate with the spring C to prevent movement ofthe hub and rim portions when one or the other of said portions issubjected to side thrusts or lateral strains. The inner edges of theside plates E on the rim are spaced away from the outer edges of theside plates D on the hub so as to permit the hub and rim portions tomove relatively to each other in a vertical plane when the wheel is inservice, and in order to eliminate the possibility of one coil orsection of the spring moving laterally through the slot between theedges of the side plates D and E and thus being subjected to unduestrain when one portion of the wheel is subjected to a side thrust, Ihave designed the plates D and E in such a manner that the slots betweenthe edges of same are of irregular shape or outline. In the preferredform of my invention as herein shown, the side plates D on the hub aresubstantially star-shaped or are provided with a number of spaced arms 1that project radially from the hub, and the side plates E on the rimhave their inner edges shaped to conform to the outline of the hubplates so that inwardly projecting arms or portions 2 of the side platesE on the rim will lie between the arms or radially projecting portions 1of the hub plates. By forming the plates D andE in this manner I obtainsinuous-shaped slots between the edges of said plates which permit thehub and rim portions of the wheel to move relatively to each other in avertical plane but still there is no possibility of the spring C movinglaterally through either of said slots owing to the fact that the coilsof the spring cross said slots instead of extending parallel orlongitudinally of same. When one portion of the wheel is subjected to aside thrust or lateral strain the spaced arms on the side plates of saidportion will exert lateral pressure on the spring C and said spring willtransmit this pressure to the cooperating spaced arms on the side platesof the other portion of the wheel, thereby preventing one portion of thewheel from moving laterally with relation to the other portion of thewheel. The

spring C can be formed from a single flat strip of spring material, asshown in l and 2, or 1t can be built up from a number of strips so as toform a laminated spring, The rim portion of the wheel is provided with atread or tire 3, preferably formed of rubber, and the side plates onboth the hub and rim portions are C, as shown in Fig. 3.

provided with radially disposed ribs/1 that reinforce and strengthensaid plates,

While the preferred embodiment of my invention consistsof a vehiclewheel constructed in the manner above-described,

still my broad idea is applicable to other kinds of wheels or wheelsthat are used for other purposes. trated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, apulleyor belt-driving wheel constructed "in" 'accor'd ance with myinvention. Referring to said figure, the reference character T'designatsa driving shaft, 8 designates the hub 10f the pulley which is securelyfastenedto said driving shaft, and '9 designates the rim of the pulleyaround which a belt ,10 passes.

A spirally-wound spring 11 is arranged 1 between the hub and "rim''S-a'nd 9,; respec-'' tively, and is securely connectdto said parts soas to transmit movement from the hub to the rim or vice versa,-saidspring permitting. 'suilicient relative movement between the hub and rimto cause the rim to exert yielding pressure on thebelt; l0 and thus holdsaid belt taut without theaid of i a belt-tightening device such as isgenerally and engaging the side edges ofsome of the I coils of saidspring, and plates connected to each side of said rim portion andengaging the side edges o'f the balance of the coils of",

said spring, eachof said plates being'provided with a plurality ofintegrallr'adial] arms, the arms on the plates-that areconnected to thehub"='portion' p'rojectingout wardly into the spaces between the arms onTherefore, I have illus themplate that is connected to the rim portion,the side edges ofadjacent arms being normally out of engagement witheach other when. the Wheel is in service.

'QL'A wheel consisting of a hub portion, a rim portion, a broad fiatspiral spring connectingsaid hub and rim portions, sheet metal :platesconnected to each side of said rim portion that engage the side edges ofsome of the coils of said spring and which are'provided at their inneredges with a plurality of cut-out portions, and sheet metal plates;connected to each side of said hub portionthat-engage the side edges ofthe balance of the coils of said spring and which are provided with aplurality of integral radial arms that are of less width than the widthof said cut-out portions, and which; lie in the open spaces formed bysaid cut-out portions and are normally spaced away from the side edgesthereof when the wheel is in service;

35A; wheel comprising a hub portion, a rim portion, a wide fiat spiralspring connecting said hub and rim portions, a substantially star-shapedplate secured to each side of said hub portion and provided with aplurality of radial reinforcing ribs that exte'nd -outwardly to a pointadjacentthe ends of'the points or arms of, said starshaped plate, aplate secured to each side of said rim portion that lies in the samevertical plane as its companion star-shaped plate on the same side ofthe wheel and whichisprovided-with a plurality of cutout portionson theinner edge thereof, the edges of said cut-out portions surrounding thepoints or arms of said star-shaped plate and being normally spaced awaytherefrom, and a plurality of radially disposed reinforcing ribsarrangedon each of the plates that are connected tothe rim portion and whichextend inwardly between said cutout portions.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature inthe presence of twowitnesses,

' this third day of December, 1912.

HENRY W. KIRCHNER, Witnesses:

WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

Copies of thisipatent may be obtained for five cents each,- byaddressing the fcommissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13.50.

